


Not a Date

by BlazeStarkRogers



Category: Markiplier RPF, MatPat RPF, Youtube RPF, youtube - Fandom
Genre: #Patiplier 2015, //wink//, Almost I love you, Beaches, Color Blind!Mark, Denial, F/M, Fancy Restaurant, Flirting, Flowers, Fluff, Guilt, I promise, Intravert!Matt, Jeez did this get angsty, M/M, Mark angst, Mark being color blind is my hc, Mark got brownie points, Mark is a good boyfriend, Mark takes off some of his clothes, Matt and Mark are selfie kings, Matt angst, Matt being afraid of large crowds is my other hc, Matt is addicted to diet coke, Mattiplier is the main focus, Mental Battles, No fairytale ending, Oh but chapter two, Stephanie is MatPat's wife, Sunsets, This is so not a date, Violets, but he's not a boyfriend, but in this AU they're only dating, but no smut, chapter twoooo, inner angst, it's not, so does matt, stupid warm sweatshirts, supersecrets surprises, thats the fluffy shit, the stupid angsty babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-18 09:06:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3564023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlazeStarkRogers/pseuds/BlazeStarkRogers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The date isn't supposed to pay, Matt." Matt turned to him, a smile playing on the edges of his lips. "True, but that would only apply if this were an actual date."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, I'm kinda pissed. The original took me an hour to write, just for it to get deleted because of a stupid back space. I couldn't go back, so I had to re write. I'm most likely not gonna be happy with this.

Mark and Matt made their way out of the bar as they talked about Mark's run in with that monkey. How Matt always ended up finding the shorter man in some weird situation was beyond him, but he got roped into helping the raven into winning a game of chess with a monkey. Yes, a monkey. He hummed softly as he turned back to Mark. "Why were you playing chess with a monkey anyways?" He asked. Mark shrugged, not knowing how to answer the brunette. He saw his car and grabbed Matt's hand, before leading him to it. 

"Since I won for the good of humanity, we should go out to celebrate." He said, grinning. Matt rolled his eyes but followed him. They went to opposite sides of the car, and Matt opened the door. "Gee, is this how you treat all of your dates?" Matt asked playfully. Mark grinned at him as he climbed in. "Only the ones I especially like." Matt gave a small laugh and shook his head lightly as Mark started the car. They made their was to a burger joint, and Mark parked the car, pulling off his seat belt and opening the door, before heading over to Matt's side and opening the door before the man could touch the handle. Matt gave him a soft smile and stepped out of the car.

Mark grabbed his hand lightly, making Matt jump at the contact again, before he lead him into the burger joint. Mark took him to the table and had him sit down. "Relax while I go get the food." Matt nodded, and held his hand with his other once Mark left. The skin tingled, and he shook his head trying to ignore the mixed feelings rushing in. 

He never felt like this with Stephanie, and he felt like a terrible boyfriend. He wasn't supposed to be feeling this way towards Mark. He didn't have a thing for him.

Okay, so maybe he did, but that didn't change the fact that he liked Stephanie. He wouldn't break up with her to try and date a guy that didn't see him that way. He broke out of his trance when he heard footsteps, and looked up, letting go of his hand. He saw Mark give him a warm smile and slide a tray in front of him. Matt gave him a smile.

"That was fast." Mark rose and eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on his lips. "Matt, you literally have the same thing everyday, it wasn't hard." Matt gave him a small chuckle, grabbing the bottle of diet coke. 

"You could have at least gave me the benefit of the doubt." He sipped the diet coke, almost letting out a moan at the taste. It had been a few days since he had the soda, and his endorphins receptors were singing in joy. He noticed Mark staring at him, and blushed lightly, putting the bottle back.

"Sorry, I may be a little bit addicted to diet coke." Mark chuckled and shook his head. "Kinda figured." He said, before he started eating his burger messily. Matt ate his burger slowly, a smile playing on his lips. He felt like Mark knew everything about him, like if the shorter man could read him like the back of his hand. He got lost on his thoughts, and only snapped out of it when Mark called his name. The man had a smidgen of worry on his face along with a gigantic goop of mustard. Matt let out a small laugh and grabbed a napkin, wetting it with the tip of his tongue, before he leaned in close to wipe it off. His eyes connected with Mark's, and he stayed there for a moment as they started into each other's eyes. He blinked out of the trance and sat back, a blush covering his cheeks as he looked at Mark. 

"You uh... You had mustard on your face." He said quietly. Mark gave him a wild grin. "You know, if you wanted to cop a feel, you could have just asked- ow ow okay sorry!" He said, laughing as he held the shin, that Matt had kicked, up. Matt huffed and laughed with him, relaxing easily. Mark pulled out his phone to check the time, and smiled.

"We've got the whole day to ourselves, what do you wanna do?" Matt shrugged, finishing his burger. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I spend all the time I have working in YouTube analysis, I don't usually go out." Well, no. That was a partial lie. He did go out with Stephanie, but that was once in a blue moon, so he didn't bother mentioning it to the shorter man. Mark made a small noise of mock disappointment, and Matt looked over at him.

"No, that just won't do. You should be treated exactly how you deserve. Tell you what, there's  performance playing in the pier today. You and I are going over there, and after that I am taking you out once a week to show you the sights." Matt rose a fond eyebrow. "I've seen the sights. In case you forgot, I've lived here for a few years." Mark put a finger on his lips, grinning. 

"You haven't seen the sights I'm talking about." Matt bit his finger lightly and pushed his chair away form the table. 

"Alright. You Make it sound like you're taking me out on a bunch of dates." Mark wiggled his eyebrows, and Matt punched him the arm. It didn't hurt, but Mark decided to make it seem like it did anyways. 

"Ow, okay, I'm kidding." He said, grinning. Matt sighed, content as they walked back to the car, before he felt the familiar guilt gnawing at his chest. He shouldn't feel this way. Mark was only saying that to joke around, and he was taking it seriously, when he was in a relationship. He rubbed at his face, and blinked out of his thoughts when he noticed that Mark had opened the door for him. He gave Mark a shy smile and got in the car.

 

When they arrived at the pier, Mark had slid his hand into Matt's. He knew that the taller man had an aversion to big crowds, they made him nervous and anxious when he was alone, so Mark took all go the chances he could get of having the taller man cling to him. He hummed along to the performance, when he noticed a shivering. He looked up at Matt, who had his head down. Mark instantly felt panic start to bubble in his chest, and he brought a hand to Matt's face. "Hey, you okay?" He asked. Matt looked down at him, and Mark let out a sigh of relief at the sheepish smile. "Y- yeah, I didn't mean to make you worry." Matt continued to shiver, and Mark felt a lightbulb go off in his head.

He was cold. Was it really cold? He couldn't tell. Mark grabbed Matt's hand and he led him over to a ship where clothes were benign sold. "Let me buy you a sweatshirt." He said, pulling the door open. Matt let go of his hand and gave a small sigh of relief, waking around the store, unaware of Mark silently crying behind him. Mark followed him over to the back where the sweatshirts were being sold, and grabbed one in his size. The sweatshirt had 'I love Santa Monica pier' sprawled across it, and had half of a heart on it so the persons significant other could fill out the rest of it. Mark glanced at Matt, who'd only found a red one, or at east that's what it looked like, in his size,  and Mark grinned. He grabbed another sweatshirt in what he thought was red and held it up. "Look, we're matching." Matt looked at him, before sighing. 

"Mark, I know you're color blind, but that's not red." Mark titled his head to the side in a puppy-esque fashion, and Matt giggled. "Never mind. Let's buy it." Mark grinned and grabbed the sweatshirt, before he took Matt's hand again and made their way to the the cashier. Before Mark could bring out his wallet, Matt slipped the cashier a twenty and said to keep the change, before grabbing the bag and jogging out. Mark watched him speechless, before smiling and running after him.

 "The date isn't supposed to pay, Matt." Matt turned to him, a smile playing on the edges of his lips. "True, but that would only apply if this were an actual date." Mark smirked at him, before grabbing his sweatshirt. He took out the tag and slipped it over his head, messing up his hair even more then what it already was. Matt pulled on his sweatshirt gentler then Mark, and gave him a smile when it fit. Mark pulled out his phone and looped his arm around Matt's waist. "Selfie." He said, grinning as he pulled up the camera. After the picture was taken, he sent it to Matt, and made it his lock screen.

He wished that beautiful smile could be his.

 

Matt nibbled on his lip when they arrived at his place. He'd see Stepahnie and she'd ask him how his day was. That wasn't bad, she always did that and he liked her for that. It was just...

She wasn't Mark.

Mark walked him to his door, and he scratched the back of his head, before smiling. "Thanks for today." He said softly. Mark smiled at him, and Matt felt the guilt rise in his gut again. "You're a great friend." Mark looked down for a minute, before their eyes locked again. They didn't break eye contact, and Mark took a deep breath. "Matt, there's something I've wanted to say for a while now." Matt felt a sliver of hope shine in his chest, and he leaned in a bit. "Yeah?" He asked softly, not letting the hope shown in his voice. Mark rose a hand to his face, and took a deep breath, before they jumped when the door opened. Stephanie poked her head out and smiled at them. 

"Matt, you're home! Hey, Mark." She said brightly. Matt felt his heart shatter and turned around slightly, giving Stephanie a watery smile. "Hey. Could you give me a minute, Mark wasn't done talking." He said quietly. Stephanie nodded and kissed his cheek. "Love you." She said, smiling, before she went back inside. Matt turned back, feeling a throbbing pain as he looked at Mark, who just started at the ground. He swallowed roughly. "Mark?" 

Mark looked up at him, before wrapping his arms around Matt's waist and hugging him. Matt felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes and he wrapped his arms around the ravens neck, burying his face in the soft fabric of his blue sweatshirt. He felt his heart hammering in his chest, and contained a sob from escaping his throat. When they pulled away, they looked in each other's eyes, pain radiating from then, before Matt broke eye contact and turned around. "I'll see you later." Matt said softly, turning the knob. Mark swallowed hard, and looked down again. "Yeah."


	2. The Not Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark smirked for a moment. "Stunning face? Buttery voice? Is that what you really think, sweetheart ~?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! So, like I promised, I wrote up the second chapter! I wrote this all in a whim tonight, I got a beta reader so there are no mistakes, and its go time! Thank you my lovely friend @sweettears_xiii on instagram, you are my life savior. Anyways, this chapter and final piece is dedicated to the lovely people who commented and kudosed and stuck with me through all the wait, you guys really rock. I am proud of this fic, this chapter especially because I had a plan and I stuck with it all and all. Anyways, let me stop babeling. Thanks again Cy for beta reading, thank you everyone for being patient, and this is the final part of 'Not a date'!

Matt finished up his research for his next video and sat back to relax. Stephanie was out visiting her parents, so he had time to himself for a long while. As he sighed gently and stared at the clock, Matt couldn't stop thinking about Mark. It had been a while since they had done the whole chess with a monkey bit, but he'd recently asked the shorter man for help on a recent video. Granted he only used him for about five seconds- six tops -but he wanted to spend time with him again. They were both so busy lately with Mark going conventions and doing charity live streams while Matt being drowned in work and  recently doing live streams, there just wasn't time for anything anymore. Not even those little visits Mark had tried his best to keep since he promised them.

 

Shaking his head to return to reality, Matt stood and looked around a moment before deciding that he may as well get something to eat. Working for seven hours straight definitely wasn't good for his health. He went to the kitchen and made up a quick banana bread and nutella sandwich, then taking a bite of the delicious sweetness. 

 

Riiiiiiiing.

 

Glancing at the door, Matt put the plate in the sink and licked his fingers as he went to the door since he literally just finished the sandwich.

 

"Who is it?" He called out. 

 

"Its the king of five nights at Freddy's! I order you to open this door, peasant!" 

 

Matt shook his head and chuckled before opening the door. He was going to say a smart alec comment, but the sight Mark portrayed had him speechless. The older- now pink-headed man -had a small bouquet of violets in his hand and a proud grin. 

 

"Come with me, my lady, as I sweep he off of thine feet and take ye out to a tour." Mark said smoothly.

 

Matt blinked for a moment, before his face set ablaze in blush. "I- I- wh- MARK?!" He cried out, completely flabbergasted and numb in his head. 

 

This is what Matt had wanted the man to do since they became friends, but /actually/ doing it was a completely other thing- as well as the fact that he has a girlfriend! 

 

Mark's grin flattened a bit as he held the violets out a bit more. "So, what do you say?" 

 

Matt bit his lip for a moment, before he sighed. "I can't say no to that face... Okay, Mark. I'll go with you."

 

Immediately Mark's face went back to being bright and gorgeous as he took Matt's hand, giving him the flowers. "Great! You won't regret it, I promise you!" 

 

Matt smiled gently and shook his head fondly. 

 

"I'm sure I won't." He whispered quietly as he followed Mark out the door. 

 

He gripped the flowers a bit tight for a second before he sighing happily as a small smile on his face. "Doesn't the whole flowers thing usually apply when you're on a date?" He asked, teasing him a bit. 

 

Mark grinned at him. "Not when they're violets." 

 

Matt laughed gently. "So, is this a not date?" Mark, shrugged a bit. 

 

"You could think of it that way, OR it could be an extremely platonic outing between two platonic male friends." 

 

Matt blinked a bit. "I think I like the not date answer better."

 

Mark chuckled and led him to the car. "Okay, okay. It's a not date then." He said, smiling as he opened the at door for him. 

 

Matt smiled at him and climbed into the passenger seat, playing with the violets in his hands.  He knew he'd have to come clean with himself sooner or later, and it was all becoming easier to handle. 

 

He was in love with Mark. 

 

Matt felt a small pang of guilt due to the fact that he was still with Stephanie. He wasn't supposed to be feeling this way... But he couldn't help it. He knew Mark for long time- longer then his girlfriend -and the little spark he used to feel with her, he felt all the time with the shorter man though it was more than little. Matt always felt alive with Mark, he felt valid and like he could do anything. Matt simply felt more with Mark then he felt with Steph... and that was something that he had to come to terms with even if-

 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 

Being pulled out if his train of thought, Matt looked up to see Mark smiling before opening the door for him. 

 

"So, I was thinking dinner first, then there is this amazing place I want to show you." Mark said as he closed the door behind Matt, locking the car afterwards.

 

Matt chuckled. "Romantic dinners don't usually qualify for 'Not dates'." He teased. 

 

Mark simply chuckled and took his hand. "Just this once."

 

* * *

 

 

Mark chuckled and led  Matt into the restaurant. Honestly, he was using the whole not date thing as an excuse to take Matt out. The pink-haired man wasn't stupid, he knew that he had a girlfriend who was good for Matt. She wouldn't leave randomly or break promises that she made. She was-...

 

She was better then Mark would ever be... 

 

But Mark couldn't help it, he just wanted to see what it was like. What it was like to go on a date with this amazing smart brunette that could never truly left his mind. 

 

After talking to the man at the front, the two were lead to their table. Mark then pulled Matt's chair out before sitting down across from him. 

 

"How much is it to eat here?!" Matt asked as he looked around in awe. 

 

Mark smiled. "Don't worry about the prices, okay? Let me treat you." He said, picking up a menu. 

 

Of course this place costs a pretty penny, but for the amazing awe struck look on Matt's face it was well worth every pretty little penny. After setting both of their orders, the two sat in silence for a few minutes while Mark was trying not to get caught looking at Matt, but caught the brunette doing the same- as not as subtle however. 

 

Mark smirked for a moment. "Stunning face? Buttery voice? Is that what you really think, sweetheart ~?" 

 

He saw Matt tense, and for a moment he was scared he crossed a line. But then he saw the blush spread out all over the brunette's face. Grinning and leaning back, Mark watched as Matt sputtered and looked at him wide eyed. 

 

"I- I was just saying the first thing that came to mind and- Oh my god that is far worse!" Matt said, facepalming embarrassedly before trying hide his face in his hands. 

 

Mark chuckled and leaned his face against his hand. "Well, I'm glad that's what you think, Matt~." He purred as their food came out. He then sat up and acted as though nothing happened, leaving Matt with a red face. 

 

They ate dinner while making easy conversation as Matt relaxed again. Once finished, Mark paid for the meal an took Matt out of the restaurant. 

 

Matt smiled at him. "So, where to now?" 

 

Mark hummed. "Well, seeing as how you never leave your home, I was thinking o taking you to this secluded beach I know. It won't sounds like much at first, but you won't regret being there." He said smiling up at him with a twinkle in his eyes. 

 

Matt smiled shyly. "Alright, let's go!

 

* * *

 

Mark watched as Matt's eyes stuck to his shirtless torso for five solid seconds before he yelped out in embarrassment. "Mark?! What are you doing?!" He lightly shouted, hiding his red face. 

 

Mark laughed and took his pants off. "I'm gonna go swimming!" He said going towards the water. 

 

Mark ran as far as he could, before he dived in it and coming back up, a smile on his face. "Come on, the water feels nice~!" He called out. 

 

Matt stared at him for a few seconds, before he sighed, the blush calming down but still there. After he took his own shirt an pants off- leaving himself in underwear like Mark -Matt ran into the water. It felt surprisingly pleasantly warm as he swam towards Mark, smiling happily. "This is great!" He said, his voice giving off his excitement. 

 

The two swam around in the water a bit more and soon Matt felt himself getting lost in it, until Mark tapped his shoulder. 

 

"Look." Mark said softly, drawing Matt's attention to the sky. 

 

The sun had begun setting, causing a beautiful array of color in the sky ranging from purple and blue to orange and pink. Matt felt his breath get taken away at the sight, and he leaned a bit against Mark. "Its beautiful." He whispered. 

 

However Mark wasn't paying attention. His eyes were drawn to how Matt practically glowed in the sunlight. "Yeah." He whispered, referring to Matt more then anything. "Yeah it is."

 

They got out of the water and stayed on the rocks to dry off so they wouldn't get sand everywhere. They stayed in silence while staring up at the sky for a few moments before Mark finally broke the silence with a question he knew was only going to hurt him. "How have you and Stephanie been doing?"

 

Matt stayed quiet for a few minutes and Mark feared he ruined the moment, until he heard a hum. 

 

"I... I was thinking of ending it. I haven't been feeling the spark that used to be there, and I'm sure she hasn't either. She said she was going to spend time with her family, but she and I both know that the only time she does that is when she's unhappy with something. She hasn't been acting well with me either... I think she doesn't feel the connection anymore, and neither do I." He said gently. 

 

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, man." 

 

Matt shrugged a bit. "It's alright. I've actually... I've had my eye on someone else for a long while now." 

 

Mark tried not to let his heart break at that. "Oh really? Who's the lucky person?"

 

Mark heard the gentle hum again. "Well, they're shorter then I am by quite a bit, as well as the fact that they're funny and nice to me. They always know how to make me feel better and make these silly little promises that mean the world to me."  Matt said quietly, leaning closer to Mark with each word. "They have an amazing personality but sometimes they are so damn clueless I want to strangle them." He said gently. "And I think that they are the most amazing person on the planet."

 

Mark felt his heart beat out of his chest. It had to be him. Who else would Matt describe like that? Plus he was moving closer with basically each word. 

 

Mark took a shaky breath. "Do you really think all those things about them?" He asked quietly. 

 

Matt crumpled a little. Did Mark not get it? "Yes, I do." He said with a nod. 

 

He then heard Mark chuckle and he looked over. "But don't you think I have a stunning face and buttery voice too?" 

 

Matt almost cried in happiness and only gave him a sly smirk in return. 

 

"Yeah, but you already knew that."


	3. Shifting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaat? Two MarkPat things in one day? (Or at least in short spans of on another??))  
> Because I apparently don't know what sleep is, I did what any normal person would do if thy couldn't sleep. I wrote some gay shit. I'm actually really proud of this one. Its a prequel for starters, all set in Matt's POV. Maybe I'll do one shot in Mark's POV, but until then, have shifting!

When Matt truly realized that he had an attraction to Mark, it didn't come straight away. Heck, he didn't even realize that he had one. No, it was something slow. Something that took him quite a while to realize. It wasn't obvious, the moving. But it was present. Just, ever so slightly, shifting.

 

At first, it started with little things. He would notice the little twist of his smile at the corners of his mouth, the way his eyes seemed to focus so sharply when he was doing something. The way little tufts of his hair would turn up in some parts and the- now faded- blue framed his face and stood out in contrast to his skin. He would notice how the blue suited him just a bit more than the pink, how he would occasionally throw a sassy backlash if someone commented on his height, or how he would get underated for how intelligent he truly was. Everything he noticed, only opened up his perspective of him more. Slowly shifting. 

 

Matt never really took the time to notice these things before, he never had to, or felt the need to. Sure, he used Mark in a lot of examples before, but he never took the time to talk to him, get to know him. And when he did, what he got to meet was someone who was, presumably, the complete opposite of Matt. He got someone who was a ball of ( _adorable_ ) energy, and had serious, sometimes raging moments, in contrast to his serious, at times (a _lot_ of times) puny behavior. 

 

He'd never had someone who had been such an opposite to himself, and it was odd. Exciting. Mark brought something entirely different to his life, and he would never admit out loud, but he was beginning to get addicted to it. To the randomness, the impulsive ball of energy ( _sunshine_ ) that was Mark Fischbach. And he loved every second of his addiction. It pushed his want, his need to know more of him. The way his view seemed to shift, ever so slowly.

 

It was why he would take any chance he could be with him, why he agreed to go along with whatever plan or scheme he had or even whatever random situation he happened to stumble upon when he saw Mark, it was because he was utterly and shamelessly addicted. 

 

The shifting continued as he drew closer to Mark. He was addicted to his energy, and he felt his personality gently begin to shift. He went from serious to silly in what felt like seconds when he was with Mark, he felt himself smile more. He would feel his cheek muscles hurt at times from smiling too much. (He would have imagined that after spending this much time with Mark, that his cheek muscles would have gotten with the program and beefed up.)

 

It was always there. This affection. Always shifting. Slowly shifting. And Matt, he didn't mind at all.

 

He was beginning to love it. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, that actually ended better then I originally planned out. Well, the whole thing is better to me, honestly. And it's angstier then what it was supposed to be, so that's a plus.  
> Kudos and comments bleed life into my soul as I am the only one in this fandom and I need life, please do it :') this is so sad XD


End file.
